OAKLAND, Calif. — As much as he hated to admit it, Joe Vitt knew that Sunday evening was not the time for a wild celebration if you’re a member of the New Orleans Saints’ organization.

Sure, the Saints had just won for the fifth time in six games and extended their winning streak to three games with a 38-17 thrashing of the Oakland Raiders — their largest margin of victory this season.

With that, a long middle-of-the-night plane ride home from the West Coast was going to feel a lot shorter and smoother.

It was also nice to think about getting to the .500 mark for the first time this season at 5-5 and leaving the unsightly thoughts of a horrible 0-4 start in September completely behind.

But, as it usually does with coaches, reality set in.

Hard, cold reality in this case.

As in playing two games in five days — starting with Sunday’s key matchup with the San Francisco 49ers followed by the quick turnaround for a Nov. 29 rematch with the angry Atlanta Falcons.

Throw in another road game, a Dec. 9 meeting with the New York Giants, and it’s easy to see why the Saints are headed into the most critical part of their season.

Three games against three division leaders will decide if the Saints are out of the playoff picture for sure, or if they’ll have an opportunity to play for something over the final three weeks of the season.